Iron Fist: The Living Weapon Appreciation

[a0040pc]

Do you think that Marvel will actually make a second season? I can applaud them for keeping close to the source material but the critical backlash must hurt Marvel somewhat. From what I've heard it is popular amongst fans so that will certainly help it. Me personally I won't be watching it since I don't have Netflix and my internet right now isn't fast enough to support streaming service (tried WWE Network for a month and the streaming was a disaster). I will buy it when it comes out on Blu Ray for sure.

Does anyone else want to see Sabretooth appear in the show? I know it won't happen but it would be fun. In fact the only Iron Fist issue I own is Sabretooth's debut, I do want the one where the X-Men feature but it was quite expensive to pick up.

[Iron Fist]

Do you think that Marvel will actually make a second season? I can applaud them for keeping close to the source material but the critical backlash must hurt Marvel somewhat. From what I've heard it is popular amongst fans so that will certainly help it. Me personally I won't be watching it since I don't have Netflix and my internet right now isn't fast enough to support streaming service (tried WWE Network for a month and the streaming was a disaster). I will buy it when it comes out on Blu Ray for sure.

Does anyone else want to see Sabretooth appear in the show? I know it won't happen but it would be fun. In fact the only Iron Fist issue I own is Sabretooth's debut, I do want the one where the X-Men feature but it was quite expensive to pick up.

Yes. It's scoring in ratings similar to Luke Cage, every problem highlighted is fixable and Danny is already in the Defenders.

Fan reception is good, if fan reception were the same as critics then no but fans are giving the show a second season easily.

[a0040pc]

Hopefully it will. Too bad there will be no Sabretooth though.

[Punisher007]

my problem was this he left when he was 10 or so right?

Ergo he shouldn't be this much of a fish out of water.

He should know basic societal norms. Such as showing up to a major corporation dressed the way he was is not going to go down well.

Yeah that bugged me as well. It's not like he was an infant when he ended up in Kun Lun. He was 10, so while I could buy him not knowing everything about how to act in "normal society," he should at least know something.

Like I'm sorry, but even a 10, I knew that you don't walk into a place like that looking like a bum off the street and with no shoes or socks on, and just expect them to accept you. And I don't buy that he'd forget that just because he grew up in Kun Lun.

And then the show is very inconsistent as to his level of social unawareness throughout. At times, it comes off as less "socially awkward" and more just him being an idiot.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Hopefully it will. Too bad there will be no Sabretooth though.

They could always create/use an expy of Sabretooth but its not really a huge priority since Sabretooth was just a oneshot villian. I did like how Iron Fist had alot X-men connections in his solo. It's not that essential to keep but it was a nice flavor.

Yeah that bugged me as well. It's not like he was an infant when he ended up in Kun Lun. He was 10, so while I could buy him not knowing everything about how to act in "normal society," he should at least know something.

Like I'm sorry, but even a 10, I knew that you don't walk into a place like that looking like a bum off the street and with no shoes or socks on, and just expect them to accept you. And I don't buy that he'd forget that just because he grew up in Kun Lun.

And then the show is very inconsistent as to his level of social unawareness throughout. At times, it comes off as less "socially awkward" and more just him being an idiot.

I thought it was more he believed the Meachums would be glad to see him and let him clean up. They didnt really describe his journey to get to New York outside of him getting a passport from Morocco. Sp i thought he just hoofed it most of the way leadibg to him being so disheveled. Davos does more prepared to deal with the outside world so maybe he is just an idiot.

Him unintentionally flirting with his secretary was funny tho.

[MindofShadow]

Do you think that Marvel will actually make a second season?

If the outside rating people are correct, probably.

It is goign to be a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong ass time though.

Still have Punisher, Defenders, JJ 2, LC 2, DD3?

That is like... 3 years for netflix

[Of Atlantis]

So, funny thing I stumbled across that one of my friends showed me. Apparently, Chinese social media generally liked Iron Fist, which was surprising to me though I'm not sure why.

I'm way behind in my Marvel-Netflix watching. I still have only seen the first season of Daredevil. And as excited as I am for Iron Fist, I really want to watch them in order - so I probably won't get to them until summertime.

Instead, I post here today to you, my Iron Fist brethren, to bring up a little foray into head canon that I've been working on for a little while: essentially, I'm attempting to do my best to link the various Iron Fist series together in a way that makes sense. Here's where I'm at so far:

1) By the end of Immortal Iron Fist, we see that - due to Danny's actions - the Very Sacred Tournament held by the Immortal Cities has no clear winner, and each of the Cities' has lost its Immortal Weapon to Earth.

2) Then, in The Living Weapon, we see that the Immortal City of K'un Lun has been destroyed and Shao Lao the Undying has been killed. We learn that The One, who was initially defeated by Danny and thrown down the mountain, has come back for revenge.

3) By the end of The Living Weapon, we have Pei resurrecting (all versions of) Shao Lao the Undying and simultaneously becoming infused with the power of the Iron Fist; meanwhile, Danny barely staves off death and defeats an interdimensional god, choosing life over death.

4) However, in Power Man and Iron Fist, we find out that Danny wants to get Heroes for Hire back together again because he needs his relationship with Luke strengthened: Danny's humor is really a cover for the depression he feels about his life.

5) And now, in the new Iron Fist solo, we find out that Danny is losing his powers. One reason may be simply because he can't find a worthy opponent. It may also be connected with the fall of K'un Lun.

6) In the first issue of the IF solo, Danny says, "My whole life has been about this. About K'un Lun. My mother and father... they gave their lives so that I could become who I am. It can't be over. I'm not ready for it to be over. Not yet."

7) We know that, later this year, we're supposed to get the follow-up series to The Living Weapon, Iron Fists.

So, now, here's where my overthinking has gotten me:

Is it possible that this solo is sort of the "last hurrah" for Danny Rand as Iron Fist?

He's been involved in so much death and destruction, but perhaps his real purpose is ushering in some new hope for K'un Lun in the form of Pei.

Perhaps his role in the tournament and the overthrow of the traditional order of things provided an excellent opportunity for The One, and Danny's defeat of The One in turn makes way for Pei to become a true champion for her people.

I'll note one other thing: at the end of this week's Iron Fist issue, artist Mike Perkins references in his message to the fans both the Tree of Immortality and the Elixir of Death. Is this metaphorically foreshadowing what's to come?

It's an interesting time to be an Iron Fist fan!

Personally, I don't mind Danny eventually sharing the limelight with Pei at all

-Pav, who is curious how others feel about this line of thought...


Oh, but also this: is it possible that Pei became the new Iron Fist not through violence but instead by emotionally winning the heart of Shao Lao / Gork ? Does love make her the most powerful Iron Fist?

As long as they don't kill off Danny for the sake of pushing Pei, I'm all for Pei becoming an Iron Fist. I'm not sure about her emotional attachment to Shao Lao/ Gork being the source of her chi though. It was my understanding she absorbed its chi when Davos killed him and she held him in her arms. He was only resurrected when the other dragons were.

[Punisher007]

They could always create/use an expy of Sabretooth but its not really a huge priority since Sabretooth was just a oneshot villian. I did like how Iron Fist had alot X-men connections in his solo. It's not that essential to keep but it was a nice flavor.

I thought it was more he believed the Meachums would be glad to see him and let him clean up. They didnt really describe his journey to get to New York outside of him getting a passport from Morocco. Sp i thought he just hoofed it most of the way leadibg to him being so disheveled. Davos does more prepared to deal with the outside world so maybe he is just an idiot.

Him unintentionally flirting with his secretary was funny tho.

That's the problem, the show doesn't bother to explain any of that. Which makes things even more awkward.

[Vic Vega]

They could always create/use an expy of Sabretooth but its not really a huge priority since Sabretooth was just a oneshot villian. I did like how Iron Fist had alot X-men connections in his solo. It's not that essential to keep but it was a nice flavor.

I thought it was more he believed the Meachums would be glad to see him and let him clean up. They didnt really describe his journey to get to New York outside of him getting a passport from Morocco. Sp i thought he just hoofed it most of the way leadibg to him being so disheveled. Davos does more prepared to deal with the outside world so maybe he is just an idiot.

Him unintentionally flirting with his secretary was funny tho.

The guy had spent 15 years living in Wuxia Fairyland. Dude hasn't owned shoes or a suit since the Bush Administration.

He naively thought his childhood friends and their dad would be happy to see him and thinking that might have been one of the few things that kept him going
over there (its strongly implied he was pretty much treated like crap in Kun Lun by everybody but Davos).

The reception he actually got is (just one of the) the reasons he kind of flip flops between wounded innocence and rage.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

If the outside rating people are correct, probably.

It is goign to be a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong ass time though.

Still have Punisher, Defenders, JJ 2, LC 2, DD3?

That is like... 3 years for netflix

That gives them a lot of time to get it right plus he can always get guestspot on another show like how luke got his start on JJ. maybe even have half a season with agents of shield like how ghost rider did?

That's the problem, the show doesn't bother to explain any of that. Which makes things even more awkward.

true enough. another thing is how long does k'un l'un actually stay on earth? because danny could have just waited till k'un l'un left earth to go back to NY. What does the iron fist when K'un l'un isn't on earth anyway?

[Blind Wedjat]

So I just finished watching IF. For now it's a strong 5/light 6 for me. I think the writing is the weakest link, and I also think IF felt like a second season or two seasons in one for me. All the things I found interesting barely got a focus, such as the relationship between Danny and Davos, Danny's life and training in K'un-L'un. I kinda like that they added a psychological aspect to Danny, with his alleged programming, his anger issues, and PTSD. I just feel like I would have been invested in it if we actually saw what Danny went through as a kid for a whole season at least. I mean we only have the plane crash and one flashback of him getting repeatedly smacked by monks with sticks for whatever reason. It's not good enough for me to be invested. It also makes it more unbelievable that he faced a dragon. I hope we see way more of this down the line somewhere.

As for the writing, I can't remember all the instances where I found the writing unbelievable poor but the season finale was lacklustre. This show I think suffered from too many villains and it just muddles up the story. I also don't know how Joy couldn't see her father was clearly losing it when he threw a bottle to the floor in anger, and told her to shut up while she was shot and sent Danny to his possible death. I think the actress did a fine job for what she was given but she reminded me at times of Arrow's Laurel Lance, epecially in that show's first season, how they just make stupid emotional decisions. I also didn't know how to feel about her and Ward sometimes, because they were obvious antagonists at the beginning but I didn't even feel why they were? They were barely developed during the first episodes and I don't know why they wanted so badly to keep Danny from the company other than because the plot demanded it. But Ward had a pretty sympathetic story and was redeemed a little at the end.

I also didn't find any of the villains compelling, and many of the plots didn't matter at the end, like the plant and the heroin. Harold was annoying most of the time, and really hope he stays gone I wasn't even sure half of the time what he was. I get that he was manipulating him, but if we actually had it clear that he was from the start, he could have been better. Bakotu had an interesting angle and personality but he was introduced so late, lost pretty easily and suffered because other villains existed. Madame Gao was the best one out of the three. Wai Ching Ho has great presence on screen and her line delivery is always quite chilling. I also like the fact that she actually never lied to Danny and was completely honest with everyone, while maintaining an air of mystery.

The action sequences were okay, but pretty inconsistent. While none of them were amazing, some were pretty good. From the top of my head the good ones were: Danny vs King in the truck; both Colleen Wing cage matches; Danny vs Scythe; Danny vs Bakuto in the computer room; Danny & Davos vs the (Good) Hand; Colleen Wing vs her would-be killers; and Colleen Wing vs Bakuto. I found the Danny vs Davos fight unnecessary tbh. The weight of that brilliant Kill Bill-esque fight scene between Colleen and Bakuto was ruined the moment she won, and when Davos stabbed him. I feel like the scene should have been longer and she shouldn't have won with what looked like such an easy move (though kicking the broken piece of her sword into his thigh was great). The episode should have just ended with Colleen winning (after a hard fight) and deciding not to kill Bakuto, an argument ensuing between Danny, Davos and her, and then Bakuto disappearing. The DEA plot from the finale was just so useless I didn't even find myself caring for it (and ruined a perfectly good moment with Anderson .Paak's "Come Down" playing in the background).

The acting was pretty good, however. I'm not sure why people are saying Finn is a bad actor because he did a great job with how lacklustre his character was written at times. When Danny found out that Colleen was with the hand in episode 10, his reaction felt real, like Finn wasn't even acting. I doubt the much requested Iron Fist replacement Lewis Tan could have pulled that off as well as he did. Finn also plays the rage-filled man child really well, almost like that's who he really is. His chemistry with Jessica Henwick was really good as well and her acting was great as well. Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum gave the most compelling performance out of everyone else I think though, especially during his downward spiral. Jessica Stroup was Joy was also pretty good and her best moment was when she found out Harold was alive. Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple was charming as always.

As a new Iron Fist fan, and someone who absolutely loves the IIF run, the show is a little bit of a disappointment in terms of an interpretation, but because this Danny isn't a fully fledged Iron Fist (like that one we saw in the found footage, which was all kinds of awesome) there's still some hope. However I would have preferred it if the show handle some things this way:

1. The first season is a linear origin story through and through, starting with the Rand family boarding their plane, it crashing, Danny being found by the monks and taken to K'un-Lun. Each episode focus on young Danny's training, adjusting to their lifestyle while trying to hold on to the things from his world (like his iPod), his friendship/rivalry with Davos, his relationship with Lei Kung and so on. The final episodes are of Danny sneaking off and returning to the world outside K'un-Lun

2. K'un-L'un martial arts are a combination of ancient Eastern (or just Chinese) martial arts and the use of chi. Now since everyone has chi, anyone can learn it (with enough dedication and discipline) and in various ways, such as enhancing speed and strength, allowing one to 'focus' and find enemy weak points (nerve strikes) as well as an understanding of a situation, heal injuries on one's self. Advanced users can use chi as a form of telepathy (such as Madame Gao). Using chi is tied to emotions and extreme emotions such as anger can make chi use difficult. However, the Iron Fist technique is a unique form of chi. It is a gift, from the heart of Shou-Lao the Undying. It's essentially the dragon's chi, and that small portion giving to the Iron Fists is the most powerful form of chi anyone can come across, as it can increase one's strength and striking power to explosive levels and can heal others as well. This allows Danny to be not unique, and can be beating by a far superior chi user (such as say, Davos or Madame Gao) that doesn't have the Iron Fist. Danny confronted Shou-Lao even though he was essentially an intermediate at chi manipulation. Because of this, he can only summon the Iron Fist in one hand, it drains him and he can barely control it. It's also another reason why Davos believes he deserved it more, because he is better at chi than Danny is.

3. Danny obviously has mental issues, and he hides that with an air of a free-spirited, naive, humorous man-child, as well as his music (something he might have in common with Luke Cage). I don't get the feeling that Danny is the light-hearted one of the Defenders when he's acting so angry and broods all the time, so even though he has anger issues, he still acts (or at least pretends) to be laid back and always has something funny to say. It will be a nice contrast considering out of the four, he could be potentially the most damaged. This also allows him to clash with the super serious Davos. He also tends to make fun of himself as the white boy who knows kung fu, which is a bit of a telling sign of someone with insecurities, for the lack of a better word (he feels he doesn't deserve the Iron Fist, and only took it because he thought it would help find and end his parents' killers).

4. Don't bother using characters from the IIF run if you're not going to use them the way they were used in the comics.

I will probably rewatch the show sometime to form a better opinion.

[Punisher007]

Also I found the: spoilers:

Reveal of Davos's true reasons for hating Danny.

end of spoilers The be quite lame. He was far more interesting BEFORE that.

And honestly, I feel like this show was trying to be too dark and gritty. Like I'm not saying that the show should have been all sunshine and giggles, there can still be darkness in it. But I feel like this should have been more optimistic and light than the other Netflix shows. Or at least Danny as a character should have been. And it would have shown a nice progression in the Marvel Neflix stuff.

I really didn't like the PTSD abusive monks stuff. It felt like the show was basically saying "everything that he was taught, was bad."

Maybe that wasn't their intentions, but it came across like that way too much for my tastes.

[Spartacus87]

Did anybody else read the "15 Reasons Colleen Wing should have been Iron Fist" (or whatever it was titled) list? It was pretty bad IMO.

If it was 15 Reasons why Collen Wing (and Misty Knight) should spinoff show (namely Daughters of the Dragon), it would have been much better.

[Punisher007]

After seeing this and the LC show, I'm 100% in support of them making a DATD show post-Defenders.

[Iron Fist]

Has anyone else seen this?



I'm really surprised a college video editor can improve the show more than professionals, it's almost a joke.